Building block

ABSTRACT

This specification discloses a precast concrete structural member which is in the form of a generally elongated upright beam, preferably of a sufficient height to extend from the foot to the top of a wall, and formed in the shape of a generally elongated U-shape, with a relatively deep narrow channel extending downwardly from the top of such member to a point somewhat above the base. In this way, the member will define inner and outer surfaces of the wall, with the inner and outer portions being joined at the bottom by a solid portion, thereby enabling the structural member to be handled as a single unitary structure, and installed in position by relatively simple hoisting equipment, and without the need for tying together separate inner and outer wall members.

States Patent [1 1 Struthers Dec. 24, 1974 BUILDING BLOCK [76] Inventor: Beacher Struthers, R,R. No. 2,

Picton, Ontario, Canada 22 Filed: Mar. 12,1973

21 Appl. No.: 339,752

Related U.S. Application Data [63] Continuation-in-part of Ser. No. 143,778, May 17,

1971, abandoned.

[52] U.S. Cl 52/603, 52/259, 52/439, 52/606, 52/607, 52/725, 52/284, 52/294,

[51] Int. Cl. E04c 2/04 [58] Field of Search 52/503, 164, 421, 284, 52/425, 259, 426, 725, 428, 439, 296, 294,

[56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 708,499 9/1902 Searight 52/603 921,545 5/1909 Judson 61/39 1,091,946 3/1914 Merley 52/439 1,148,228 7/1915 Higgins 52/607 1,597,167 8/1926 Pace 52/607 2,233,089 2/1941 Adler 52/439 2,940,294 6/1960 Carlson 52/421 3,195,312 7/1965 Rumsey 61/39 3,530,626 9/1970 Mazes 52/236 FOREIGN PATENTS OR APPLICATIONS 1,038,357 9/1953 France 52/425 55,886 9/1952 France 52/425 399,601 7/1909 France 61/39 1,411,572 8/1965 France 52/439 248,937 3/1926 Great Britain.... 52/439 494,155 9/1919 France 52/439 Primary ExaminerErnest R. Purser Assistant ExaminerHenry Raduazo [57] ABSTRACT This specification discloses a precast concrete structural member which is in the form of a generally elongated upright beam, preferably of a sufficient height to extend from the foot to the top of a wall, and formed in the shape of a generally elongated U-shape, with a relatively deep narrow channel extending downwardly from the top of such member to a point somewhat above the base. In this way, the member will define inner and outer surfaces of the wall, with the inner and outer portions being joined at the bottom by a solid portion, thereby enabling the structural member to be handled as a single unitary structure, and installed in position by relatively simple hoisting equipment, and without the need for tying together separate inner and outer wall members.

7 Claims, 9 Drawing Figures BUILDING BLOCK The present invention relates to a precast concrete structural member for building walls or the like and is a continuation in part of application Ser. No. 143,778 filed May 17, 1971 and now abandoned.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Walls of building units such as basements, utility buildings, retaining walls, barrier walls and the like, are frequently made of precast concrete block, or blocks formed of precast concrete together with other extender material and the like, and such blocks are commonly laid more or less in the manner of bricks in successive courses joined with mortar. Walls of this type are frequently subject to considerable stresses, and unless erected with extreme care tend to break down, causing seepage of water etc. or other damage requiring very expensive remedial treatment. In addition, the laying of a block wall structure of this type if fairly expensive procedure, requiring a predetermined unit labour cost per block in the wall, which labour cost cannot be reduced.

In addition, when erecting such block wall, it is impossible to incorporate reinforcing steel, or additional poured concrete for greater strength, unless two courses of such blocks are laid which of course more than doubles the expense. Various attempts have been made in the prior art to provide a more economical form of wall construction in which blocks and reinforcing steel and poured concrete are employed, but in the majority cases, such earlier proposals have all relied upon the use of a relatively large number of small blocks which would be laid'in courses similar to bricks, with one set of blocks forming the outer surface of the wall, and another completely separate set of blocks forming the inner surface of the wall, and reinforcing steel extending between the two inner and outer sets of blocks, the concrete being poured therebetween. Obviously, such a form of construction had the further very serious disadvantage that before the interior sandwich of concrete could be poured, the mortar holding the inner and outer block walls in position must be thoroughly dried so that it was capable of withstanding the stresses of the wet concrete as it was poured into the intervening space. In some cases, it has been proposed in the past to provide larger slabs of precast concrete which would be associated together to form the outer and inner surfaces of such a wall, preferably held together by means of reinforcing steel, after which wet concrete could be poured into the intervening space. Again however in such earlier proposals the inner and outer slabs had to be erected separately and were held together solely by the strength of the reinforcing steel, and unless the reinforcing steel was carefully inserted, the inner and outer surface of the wall might be distended due to the pressure of the wet concrete and would be distorted. One example of such earlier proposal is shown in US. Letters Patent No. 1,911,626, H. G. Larzelere.

A more recent proposal has been made to form such a wall structure by means of even larger precase ma sonry wall panels which may be precast with any de sired exterior finish, such as in the appearance of bricks, with an outer panel and an inner panel being erected separately, and held together by means of reinforcing steel or the like, after which concrete could be poured into the intervening space. An example of such a later proposal is shown in US. Letters Patent No. 3,530,632, M. W. Sloan. Again however the inner and outer panels had to be erected separately, requiring two separate operations, and the inner and outer panels were held together by means of reinforcing steel, after which the wet concrete would be poured into the interior, or in some cases the use of the additional wet concrete would be omitted altogether, and the outer and inner panels are apparently held together in spaced relationship by means of welding of the reinforcing steel together.

Again however such precast panels require to be erected separately, or where erected together were first of all formed separately and then fastened together by means of welding of the reinforcing steel or the like, which resulted in greatly increased manufacturing costs and made the unit cost of such panels completely uneconomical.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention provides a precast concrete structural member which is in the form of a generally elongated upright beam, preferably of a sufficient height to extend from the foot to the top of a wall, and formed in the shape of a generally elongated U-shape, with a relatively deep narrow channel extending downwardly from the top of such member to a point somewhat above the base. In this way, the member will define inner and outer panel members being the two halves of the U, thereby defining inner and outer surfaces of the wall, with the inner and outer portions being joined at the bottom by a solid portion, thereby enabling the structural member to be handled as a single unitary structure, and installed in position by relatively simple hoisting equipment, and without the need for tieing together separate inner and outer wall members. If desired, reinforcing steel can be installed in the deep channel shaped recesses defined between the outer and inner panel members and once a sufficient number of the'structural members have been erected in line side by side to form a wall, concrete can than be poured into the deep channel shaped recess, and, when such concrete solidifies it will form a continuous homogenous mass uniting all of the separate structural members into a single wall.

It is a further and related objective of the invention to provide such a structural member incorporating keying recesses on the inwardly directed surfaces of the inner and outer side members for interlocking with the wet concrete poured therein.

More particularly, it is an objective of the invention to provide a structural member having the foregoing advantages which is tapered from top to bottom the larger end being located at the bottom.

More particularly, it is an objective of the invention to provide a structural member having the foregoing advantages in which the inwardly directed surfaces of the inner and outer panels are provided with longitudinally extending interlocking formations, adapted to interlock with the concrete poured into the U-shpaed recess, so as to prevent any separation thereof during hardening.

More particularly, it is an objective of the invention to provide a structural member having the foregoing advantages incorporating a stand member at its base, upon which the weight of the unit will rest, and defining an intervening recess around such stand member into which mortar can be inserted so as to finish off the base, and to seal it against seepage of moisture or the like.

More particularly, it is an objective of the invention to provid e a structural member having the foregoing advantages incorporating groove means moulded into abutting side edges thereof, for reception of portions of reinforcing steel, and, if desired incorporating knock out means in the structural member at the ends of such groove means which may be removed so as to permit portions of the reinforcing steel to extend outwardly from the wall for attachment of exterior bracing such as two by four timbers.

According to a further embodiment of the invention, further knock out means may be provided in certain of such structural members so as to permit the construction of corners in the walls, the knock out means permitting the wet concrete to flow therethrough into an adjacent such structural member arranged at an angle of 90 thereto, thereby uniting the same into a single homogenous structure.

According to a still further embodiment of the invention, provision may be made for canting of the bases of such structural members so as to permit their erection at an angle, for instance in the case of a retaining wall or the like for increased strength.

The foregoing advantages will become apparent from the following description of a preferred embodiment of the invention which is given here by way of example only, with reference to the following drawings in which like reference devices refer to like parts thereof throughout the various views and diagrams.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a perspective illustration of a structural member according to the invention shown upright, and in isolation from other such structural members for the sake of clarity;

FIG. 2 is a sectional top plan view of the structural member shown in FIG. 1 along the line 22 thereof;

FIG. 3 is a lower perspective view of the lower end of the structural member shown in FIG. 1 showing the stand means;

FIG. 4 is a schematic side elevational view of the lower portion of the structural member shown in FIG. 1, shown in position on a suitable concrete foundation, laid in the earth;

FIG. 5 is a perspective illustration of the block shown in FIGS. 1 to 4, shown on a reduced scale, in association with the reinforcing steel which may be employed in certain cases;

FIG. 6 is a perspective illustration of a comer block according to the invention, together with another adja cent block forming the beginning of the next portion of the wall, shown in phantom form for the sake of clarity;

FIG. 7 is a sectional plan view along the line 7-7 of FIG. 6;

FIG. 8 is a partial side elevational view of a further embodiment of block according to the invention with a canted base, and,

FIG. 9 is a schematic side elevational view showing a block according to the invention, employed as a wall structure without the use of additional concrete.

Referring now to FIGS. 1 to 4, it will be seen that the preferred embodiment of the invention comprises a single unitary structural member 10 which is of generally elongated rectangular shape, and having a typical height of say between about inches and 88 inches, although the precise dimensions are not critical. A structural member 10 of these dimensions, is particularly suitable for the construction of basement walls, retaining walls, garages, fences and the like, and is adapted to form the entire height of such structure without the use of additional such units above or below The structural member 10 has a rectangular solid base 11, and inner and outer side panel members 12 and 13, all of which are formed in a single homogenous mass of precast concrete. The side panels 12 and 13 are spaced apart from one another and define a deep channel or recess 14 which is open at the top of the block indicated as 15, and is closed at the bottom of the block by the solid base 11. Within the inwardly directed surfaces of the side panels 12 and 13, continuous elongated interlocking means such as the continuous longitudinal ridge members 16 are provided, shaped so as'to become embedded in the wet concrete, and to be retained therein when the same has hardened so as to prevent separation taking place due to shrinkage.

Since member 10 will be of very considerable weight, it is found according to the invention that it is desirable to provide a stand member shown as 17 on the underside of the base 11 (see FIG. 3). Preferably, the stand 17 is precast integrally with the structural member 10, and is of reduced size in relation to the cross-section of the base 11, and is provided with angled side surfaces 18. As shown in FIG. 4, the stand 17 will support the weight of the structural member 10 on a suitable foundation or footing F, and mortar M can then be interposed in the spacing between the base 1 l and the footing F, around the stand 17 thereby ensuring that the base 11 of the structural member 10 is sealed against penetration of moisture or the like.

The base 1 1 has left and right hand side surfaces, 113 which are smooth and planar and parallel with one another, and the inner and outer panel members 12 and 13 have left and right hand side surfaces 12A and 13A which are smooth and planar and parallel with one another and form a common planar face with respective said surfaces 11B of said base 11. In this way the members tend when stood side by side as shown in the drawings will abut closely together throughout their full height thereby securely entrapping the concrete in the channel 14.

In order to completely seal the joints between adjacent bases 11 channel extensions 14A may be formed in the left and right hand sides 11B of bases 11 as shown in FIG. 3 so as to permit the concrete to flow downwardly therein. However, in many cases, this additional feature will not be necessary.

Again, as a consequence of the considerable weight of the member 10, means are preferably provided for lifting and handling the member 10. Obviously, a variety of different such lifting means can be made available, but according to the present invention, holes 19 are formed in the inwardly directed surfaces of the side panels 12 and 13, enabling a pin or other suitable fastening (not shown) to be inserted into this spacing, to which any suitable hoisting tackle can be attached.

In many cases, it will be desirable to employ some form of network of reinforcing steel, interposed in the U-shaped channel 14, more or less in the arrangement shown in FIG. 5. In many cases, the steel can simply be a series of rods 20 extending through the channels 14 of adjacent structural members 10. In certain cases however it may be desirable to provide a plurality of transverse reinforcing members 21, and for this purpose the abutting side edges of the side panels 12 and 13 are provided with a plurality of horizontal transverse grooves 22, preferably being arranged to register with one another when the structural members are arranged in position for form a wall. The grooves 22 are designed so as to be closed at their outer ends, by a relatively thin portion of concrete 23, which may be removed or knocked out in certain cases if it is desired to have one or more of the transverse steel members 21 extending outwardly from the wall surface for any reason. In this way, outer bracing means such as two by four timbers T or the like can be attached for additional security during pouring of the wet concrete C into the channel 14, or may be available for any other purpose if desired.

In order to construct a wall enclosure having corners, such as a basement, building or the like, a modified form of block shown as 10A in FIG. 6 may be employed In this modification, the block 10A is constructed exactly the same as the block 10 with the exception that in one of side panels 12 or 13, ports or openings 24 may be provided at spaced intervals communicating through such side wall 12 or 13, into the interior channel 14 of the block 10A. In this way, the wet concrete C can flow between the two adjacent blocks 10 and 10A forming the corner, so as to bind all such blocks 10 and 10A into a single homogenous unit. It will of course be appreciated that the remaining features of the block 10A are the same as those already described in connection with the block 10. Thus both blocks 10 and 10A will exhibit a taper from bottom to top, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the outer and inner side panels 12 and 13 converging towards one another so that the top 15 of the block 10 is narrower than the base 11. Thus when the side edge of one block 10 is placed up against a side panel 12 of an adjacent block 10A as shown in FIG. 6, the blocks will not mate with one another, but will define an elongated wedge shaped spacing therebetween which must also be filled up with wet concrete C as shown.

As stated above, the blocks 10 according to the invention may also be employed without the use of the wet concrete filler C. In many cases, such as the construction of a utility building, garage, or the like, the use of the wet concrete filler C will not be required, the blocks It) simply being mounted side by side and providing a sufficiently rigid wall for the purposes required. In this case, obviously some additional structure must be provided so as to hold the blocks 10 erect and in line. In this case, where such blocks 10 form the wall of a utility building, as shown in FIG. 9, the roof trusses R of the building will be constructed in association with a continuous beam B, the beam B being of a predetermined width corresponding to the width of the channel-shaped recess 14, and fitting snugly within the 6 shown in FIG. 4, these details having been omitted for the sake of clarity.

According to a still further embodiment of the invention, where for example it is desired to employ the blocks 10 in the erection of a retaining wall or the like, it may be desirable to erect such blocks 10 at a slight angle so as to provide greater strength. In order to provide for the angling of blocks 10, all that is required is to form the block as shown in FIG. 8. In this embodiment, only the base 11A of a block is shown, it will be noted that it is angled slightly from the vertical, being otherwise constructed exactly in accordance with the block as shown in FIGS. 1 to 4. In fact such angling of base 11A can be achieved during manufacture of the block 10 simply by tilting the base of the mould (not shown) employed in such a machine, without otherwise altering the structure at all. In the same way, if it is desired to erect the blocks 10 along an inclined footing or foundation, the bases of the blocks 10 can be angled or canted from one side to the other, instead of through their width as shown in FIG. 8. This further modification will be obvious from the modification shown in FIG. 8, and does not require further discussion or illustration.

In use, the blocks 10 according to the invention will be erected after pouring of the foundation of footing F. The blocks are simply hoisted off a truck one by one and stood in position. Each block is placed in position beside the exposed side edge of the next adjacent block standing in line. Obviously, in order to provide a complete seal between the adjacent bases 11, when erected in a row as shown in FIG. 5, a thin layer of mortar should be applied to the exposed side of the base 11, after which the next block will be swung into position and pressed firmly against the existing line of blocks. When the blocks for any one wall have been placed in position, wet concrete C will then be poured down through the channel-shaped recess 14 flowing continuously along the length of the wall and uniting all of the blocks 10 into a continuous homogenous wall unit, with or without the addition of the steel 20 and 21 as shown in FIG. 5. According to the practice of the invention, it is found that a suitable wall for a basement or a retaining wall, or a utility structure such as a garage or other storage building can be erected in a fraction of the time required for the erection of an equivalent wall built of conventional blocks, and in addition, the wall is possessed of greatly increased strength and resistance to seepage and moisture since little or no skill is required to erect a wall, and it is not liable to suffer from poor workmanship or the like, which, in a case of a conventional block wall, could render such a wall useless in a manner of a year or so.

The foregoing is a description of a preferred embodiment of the invention, which is given here by way of example only. The invention is not to be taken as limited to any of the features as described, but comprehends all such variations thereof as come within the scope of the appended claims.

What I claim is:

1. A structural member adapted to be stood upright, side by side, with adjacent identical members on a floor or slab for use in the construction of walls having smooth surfaces on each face and comprising:

a base portion of rectangular cross-section in plan and having a predetermined width dimension and a predetermined thickness dimension corresponding to the thickness of the said wall or the like and defining smooth, planar inner and outer sides spaced apart by said predetermined thickness dimension, and left and right hand sides spaced apart by said predetermined width dimension said width reception of a suitable filler material therein; dimension being the same across the thickness of and a stand member formed integrally with said base said base portion; and located in the centre of the underside thereof, an inner panel portion formed integrally with said having cross-sectional dimensions in the direction base and extending upwardly therefrom and having both of the width and thickness of said base, which a thickness less than said base portion, said inner 10 are less than the width and thickness of said base, panel portion defining an inner side and left and and having a flat undersurface whereby the same' right hand sides said inner side of said panel tocan function as a stand permitting the structural gether with said inner side of said base forming the member to stand erect and supporting the weight inner surface of said wall and said left and right of said structural member on said floor slab, and at hand sides forming continuous co-planar extenthe same time defining a space all around said sions of said base left and right hand sides and being spaced apart by the same said predetermined width dimension throughout the full thickness of said inner panel portion, said sides being adapted tween them a predetermined spacing forming a deep narrow channel, closed at its lower end by said base and open at its upper end said channel being continuous along the length of said wall for stand member between said base and a floor slab for insertion of mortar or the like between said floor slab and said base.

2. A structural member as claimed in claim 1 wherein to abut closely with corresponding sides of adjacent said members when arranged as aforesaid, throughout their full height from said base to the top of said panel portion thereby to establish a smooth uninterrupted inner face for said wall when assembled as aforesaid, constituted by the inner sides of respective said inner panel portions and base portions;

an outer panel portion formed integrally with said base and extending upwardly therefrom and having a thickness less than said base, said outer panel portion defining an outer side and left and right hand sides, said outer side of said panel together with said outer side of said base forming the outer surface of said wall, and said left and right hand sides forming continuous co-planar extensions of said base left and right hand sides being spaced apart by the same said predetermined width dimension, throughout the full thickness of said outer panel portion said sides being adapted to abut closely with corresponding sides of adjacent said members when arranged as aforesaid, throughout their full height from said base to the top of said panel portion, thereby to establish a smooth uninterupted outer face for said wall when assembled as aforesaid, constituted by the outer sides of respective said outer panel portions and base portions;

and said inner side of said inner panel portion and said outer side of said outer panel portion tapering said inner and outer panel portions, together with said base, define a predetermined height equal to said predetermined height of said wall, whereby said wall may be constructed by placing said members upright, in edgewise abutting relation.

3. A structural member as claimed in claim 1 including recess means formed in said left and right hands sides of said panel for reception and support of reinforcing steel rod means.

4. A structural member as claimed in claim 1 including rib members formed along the inner surfaces of said inner and outer panel portions, said rib members being shaped and adapted to be engaged by and enveloped within wet concrete material, when the same is poured into said deep narrow channel.

5. A structural member as claimed in claim 1 wherein said base is tilted at a slight angle, thereby aligning said structural member at a predetermined angle from the vertical, when in its erect position.

6. A structural member as claimed in claim 1 including a series of openings formed in one of said inner or outer panel portions, communicating between the exterior thereof, and the interior of said deep narrow channel, thereby enabling the same to be employed in the formation of a corner for a wall.

7. A structural member as claimed in claim 1 including channel extension grooves formed in respective left and right hand sides of said base communicating with said channel whereby to permit flow of concrete or the in towards one another from the base to the top like therein to seal the joints between adjacent said thereof, bases when said members are assembled as aforesaid. and said inner and outer panel portions defining be- 

1. A structural member adapted to be stood upright, side by side, with adjacent identical members on a floor or slab for use in the construction of walls having smooth surfaces on each face and comprising: a base portion of rectangular cross-section in plan and having a predetermined width dimension and a predetermined thickness dimension corresponding to the thickness of the said wall or the like and defining smooth, planar inner and outer sides spaced apart by said predetermined thickness dimension, and left and right hand sides spaced apart by said predetermined width dimension said width dimension being the same across the thickness of said base portion; an inner panel portion formed integrally with said base and extending upwardly therefrom and having a thickness less than said base portion, said inner panel portion defining an inner side and left and right hand sides said inner side of said panel together with said inner side of said base forming the inner surface of said wall and said left and right hand sides forming continuous co-planar extensions of said base left and right hand sides and being spaced apart by the same said predetermined width dimension throughout the full thickness of said inner panel portion, said sides being adapted to abut closely with corresponding sides of adjacent said members when arranged as aforesaid, throughout their full height from said base to the top of said panel portion thereby to establish a smooth uninterrupted inner face for said wall when assembled as aforesaid, constituted by the inner sides of respective said inner panel portions and base portions; an outer panel portion formed integrally with said base and extending upwardly therefrom and having a thickness less than said base, said outer panel portion defining an outer side and left and right hand sides, said outer side of said panel together with said outer side of said base forming the outer surface of said wall, and said left and right hand sides forming continuous co-planar extensions of said base left and right hand sides being spaced apart by the same said predetermined width dimension, throughout the full thickness of said outer panel portion said sides being adapted to abut closely with corresponding sides of adjacent said members when arranged as aforesaid, throughout their full height from said base to the top of said panel portion, thereby to establish a smooth uninterupted outer face foR said wall when assembled as aforesaid, constituted by the outer sides of respective said outer panel portions and base portions; and said inner side of said inner panel portion and said outer side of said outer panel portion tapering in towards one another from the base to the top thereof, and said inner and outer panel portions defining between them a predetermined spacing forming a deep narrow channel, closed at its lower end by said base and open at its upper end said channel being continuous along the length of said wall for reception of a suitable filler material therein; and a stand member formed integrally with said base and located in the centre of the underside thereof, having cross-sectional dimensions in the direction both of the width and thickness of said base, which are less than the width and thickness of said base, and having a flat undersurface whereby the same can function as a stand permitting the structural member to stand erect and supporting the weight of said structural member on said floor slab, and at the same time defining a space all around said stand member between said base and a floor slab for insertion of mortar or the like between said floor slab and said base.
 2. A structural member as claimed in claim 1 wherein said inner and outer panel portions, together with said base, define a predetermined height equal to said predetermined height of said wall, whereby said wall may be constructed by placing said members upright, in edgewise abutting relation.
 3. A structural member as claimed in claim 1 including recess means formed in said left and right hands sides of said panel for reception and support of reinforcing steel rod means.
 4. A structural member as claimed in claim 1 including rib members formed along the inner surfaces of said inner and outer panel portions, said rib members being shaped and adapted to be engaged by and enveloped within wet concrete material, when the same is poured into said deep narrow channel.
 5. A structural member as claimed in claim 1 wherein said base is tilted at a slight angle, thereby aligning said structural member at a predetermined angle from the vertical, when in its erect position.
 6. A structural member as claimed in claim 1 including a series of openings formed in one of said inner or outer panel portions, communicating between the exterior thereof, and the interior of said deep narrow channel, thereby enabling the same to be employed in the formation of a corner for a wall.
 7. A structural member as claimed in claim 1 including channel extension grooves formed in respective left and right hand sides of said base communicating with said channel whereby to permit flow of concrete or the like therein to seal the joints between adjacent said bases when said members are assembled as aforesaid. 